The present invention relates to the assembling of solid-state circuitry device; and particularly to solid-state devices assembled onto a circuit board. Certain circuitry devices such as field effect transistors (FETs) have a metal bus or block extending from the semiconductor material portion for attachment to the power source effecting heat transfer and physically securing the device. Typically, an FET has a metal tab or block provided with an aperture therethrough which is adapted for attachment by a fastener to a conductive mounting structure as, for example, by a clamp and a fastener passing through the aperture in the bus block. In devices employing this type of mounting it is a known technique to first insert the leads of an FET into holes on a printed circuit board and then solder the leads to the underside of the circuit board for electrical connection thereto. The bus bar of the solid-state device is then clamped, typically by a threaded fastener passing through the aperture in the bus bar to a conductive metal mounting bracket. The attachment of the bus bar to the mounting bracket, which must provide for heat transfer and secure electrical and mechanical contact, often results in application of clamping forces to the device which cause movement resulting in rupture of the solder connections of the leads to the printed circuit board.
It has thus been desired to find a way or means of anchoring mechanically and electrically the bus bar of a solid-state device, particularly an FET, when mounting the device to a printed circuit board in such a manner as to prevent breakage of the soldered lead connections to the printed circuit.